Build Business Power Play Conference

The Build Business Power Play Conference, organized by the The Society for Marketing Professional Services will take place from 30th July to the 1st August 2014 at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, USA. The conference will cover areas like to meet the business challenges of tomorrow while performing optimally today, tools to position your firm and career to prosper under any circumstances and many more.

Entry Fees

Schedule & Agenda

30-07-201407:00 AM -07:00 PM

Registration Open

30-07-201408:00 AM -04:00 PM

The Basics of Business Development in the A/E/C Marketplace

Whether you’re a new or seasoned business developer, The Basics of Business Development will provide you with the skills and tools to build more business for your firm in any economy.Led by seasoned, active A/E/C practitioners with responsibility for bottom-line contractual results, this program will strengthen your business development skills to position your firm for success in 2014.During this interactive, day-long workshop you will gain the special skills, techniques, and tools necessary to develop and maintain a successful business development program for your professional services firm.A separate registration fee is required for this program. Visit www.smps.org/bdbasics or call 800.292.7677, x228, to learn about special discounts for Build Business power:play attendees.

30-07-201409:00 AM -12:00 PM

CPSM Day Part I - Fellows Forum (CPSM Day Registration Required)

Taking It to the Next Level: Finding Your Voice What would happen if you were less concerned about the status quo and you were more disruptive and entrepreneurial? Your voice can make a difference. Do you want to help shape corporate strategy but don’t know how do you get a seat at the table? You position your firm’s key staff as thought leaders, but what have you done to position yourself as an expert? How do you handle the recurring complaint about marketing overhead? What can you do to accelerate your personal influence and affect change? Does certification or Fellowship help? Hear how six Fellows from around the country found their voice and confidence and subsequently gained control and power to be change agents in their firms. Through a lively and enlightening exchange between the Fellows and all the attendees, you’ll leave this session with a plan for Monday morning to start making noise and shaking things up so you can take your firm (and your career) to the next level. Participation in CPSM Day is limited to CPSMs. Admission is NOT included in the full conference registration.

30-07-201409:00 AM -12:00 PM

SMPS Chapter Leaders Forum

Are you an SMPS chapter volunteer? Whether you are a member of the chapter’s board, a committee chair, or a committee member, this session is for you! Discuss the challenges you face as a volunteer and share best practices with your colleagues. Discover the many resources available to your chapter through SMPS National. Preregistration is required; contact mary@smps.org. There is no charge to participate.

30-07-201401:00 PM -04:00 PM

CPSM Examination

This exam is the final step in the certification process for the distinguished Certified Professional Services Marketer designation. For program details or to apply to sit for the exam, call 800.292.7677, x232.

30-07-201401:00 PM -04:00 PM

Deltek Vision CRM User Group Meeting

Deltek is pleased to host the second annual pre-Build Business user group meeting for Vision CRM clients. Based on your feedback, this year’s session will cover Vision CRM best practices. Register to connect with Deltek experts and increase the value of your Build Business investment. Based on your feedback, we’ll cover: Creating sleeker, more engaging proposals through Vision’s InDesign Integration capabilities. You'll discover not only how to build elegant, winning proposal templates, but also how to merge Vision data directly into InDesign. Getting the most out of Vision CRM reporting We'll also share the latest on Vision CRM and leave plenty of time for Q&A to ensure you leave Build Business equipped to succeed.

30-07-201402:00 PM -04:00 PM

CPSM Day Part II (CPSM Day Registration Required)

Participation in CPSM Day is limited to CPSMs. Admission is NOT included in the full conference registration. CPSMs registered for the conference (full- or single-day registration) may attend CPSM Day for $50 (includes refreshments). If not registering for the conference, CPSMs may purchase a ticket for CPSM Day for $150/person. To register, complete and return the registration form or register online.

30-07-201405:00 PM -06:00 PM

First Timers' Orientation

Is this your first Build Business conference? Plan to attend this special networking session for new attendees. SMPS leaders will be on hand to talk about what you can expect to see, hear, and do at Build Business. Gain tips for maximizing your conference experience and learn how getting involved in SMPS can help you build your business and advance your career.

30-07-201406:00 PM -07:30 PM

Welcome Reception

Welcome to Build Business: Let the networking begin! Meet old friends and make new business contacts while enjoying drinks and hors d’oeuvres in the Networking Lounge. Visit with the conference sponsors who can help you find strategic business solutions to collaborate better, work smarter, and build your firm’s bottom line. After the reception, enjoy dinner on your own and a free evening to explore all that San Antonio River Walk has to offer.

Downtown San Antonio River Boat and Project Tour: San Antonio River Walk, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, Pearl Brewery Mixed-Use ProjectBenefiting the SMPS FoundationWednesday, July 30, 7–10 pm Join us for an evening of fun and networking during this guided tour along the River Walk. Representatives of the design and building firms behind two local projects will serve as tour guides.First stop ­–Radius Center for a light supper (including beer and wine) before touring the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, scheduled to open in September. Members of the architectural team LMN/Marmon Mok and construction team Linbeck/Zachry will lead the tour. Second stop - Museum Reach section, docking at the national award-winning Pearl Brewery Mixed-Use Project for a walking tour through the 1883 brewing complex. Led by design firm Lake Flato and others on the development team.

31-07-201407:00 AM -06:00 PM

Registration Open

Room: Ballroom Foyer

31-07-201408:00 AM -09:00 AM

Light Continental Breakfast in the Networking Lounge

31-07-201408:00 AM -04:30 PM

Networking Lounge Open

31-07-201408:30 AM -08:50 AM

Cosential Exhibitor Session

31-07-201409:00 AM -10:30 AM

Opening General Session

31-07-201410:30 AM -10:45 AM

Break in the Networking Lounge

31-07-201410:45 AM -12:00 PM

From Student to Prospect: How Educational Content Qualifies, Nurtures, and Motivates Leads

Attendees will learn the keys to a carrying out an educational content marketing plan. Through the plan, you'll learn how to increase qualified leads and nurture those leads throughout a guided course of engagement with the firm’s specialties and services, using educational opportunities to soft-sell outcomes -- all while positioning the firm as a thought leader. (1.25 CEUs)Learning Objectives: Discover types of content to produce, how to target it most effectively, and how to develop a content calendar.Learn practical methods for producing robust educational content without breaking the budget and ways to gain enthusiastic participation from technical professionals.Find ways to use educational opportunities to convey your firm’s services and expertise to target audiences, fostering progressively closer engagements with qualified prospects. Understanding of A/E/C peers successfully educating target audiences with educational (soft-sell) contentet.

I Want to Be Rubber But I feel Like Glue: How to Regain Your Personal and Professional Bounce

Ever just feel stuck? As if all of your creativity, energy, and spark has been put on pause? Do you find yourself wishing for a different company, manager, position, or maybe just for space to be able to catch your breath? What if there is no one on a white horse just around the corner? What if the “one you have been waiting for” is actually just you? There are a number of ways we get stuck in our careers--and few have to do with the usual suspects of managers, compensation, or workload that we blame in our day jobs. The real strangleholds have to do with fear, knowledge of ourselves, and our own willingness to take risks. We often think of creativity as doing something--but that isn’t the whole of it. It also equals being something. So, how do you impact the real things that keep you stuck? This interactive session will help you confront the stuckness in your life and give you practical suggestions for moving forward. (1.25 CEUs)

31-07-201410:45 AM -12:00 PM

Young Leaders Under 40

Elevate : Leadership TrackYoung Leaders Under 40calendar7/31/2014clock10:45 AM - 12:00 PMclockRoom: Conference Rooms 1-4Patrick DukeSenior Vice President, CBRE HealthcareKristin KautzDirector of Client Development, PhiloWilke PartnershipMary Hart, AIA, NCARB, LEED APPrincipal, Corgan, Dallas, TexasModerator: Dave BaristaEditor-in-Chief, Building Design+Construction - BDCnetwork.com, BDCuniversity.comSince the beginning of the 40 Under 40 program, Building Design+Construction magazine has shined the spotlight on 360 emerging A/E/C leaders ranging in age from 31 to 39. The editors of BD+C select the honorees for the list based on their career achievement, service to their professions and communities, and active participation in charitable work. So what does it take to reach a pinnacle of success so early in your career? How did these A/E/C stars balance their professional roles as architects, engineers, contractors, designers, and A/E/C business developers while giving back to their communities and professional societies? Dave Barista, Editor-in-Chief of Building Design+Construction, will moderate this panel discussion with three 40 Under 40 list makers. Come learn from our panelists' successes and create your own path to leadership

31-07-201412:00 PM -01:30 PM

Lunch in the Networking Lounge

Grab some lunch and join fellow attendees for lively, informal discussions on a variety of topics. Pick up fresh ideas and practical solutions you can act on after returning to the office.

31-07-201412:50 PM -01:10 PM

Deltek Exhibitor Session

Deltek Vision CRM is getting ready to make a major leap forward for Marketing and Business Development Professionals. Build Business attendees will be among the first to get a sneak peak at what will be coming with the next major version and enhancements to Vision CRM. See it before everyone else does.

Explode Your Firm's Performance: The Business Case for Lighting the Fuse

Hear directly from the President & CEO of a once old school A/E firm and the revolutionary transformation of its environment, culture, and reward structure. The firm has engaged its employees in ways that have markedly evolved the 160-year-old organization in impressive ways. The results weren’t immediate and required an ongoing “walk of faith” on the part of a newly transitioned leadership team. Framing all management and strategic decisions against the backdrop of the firm's prime strategic initiative was critical to the firm's positive outcomes. This presentation will illustrate an emphasis on an internal culture of leadership that runs in the background at all levels, improved business development and marketing results, better risk management, an increasingly engaged workforce, improved technical quality, customer service & retention, and internal coordination. The presentation will have an emphasis on the corresponding payback to the company, clients, and employees, as well as why all leaders interested in keeping their firms relevant should be doing likewise. (1.25 CEUs)Learning Objectives: Becoming an Employer of Choice is only one side of an equilibrium equation; the other side must be recruiting and retaining Employees of Choice. The traditional employer-employeeBeing an Employer of Choice isn’t about giving more and more “stuff” to employees and it’s not about being “touchy-feely” either. It’s about creating an internal culture of high performance and high leadership that runs in the firm's background and consistently returns positive and sustainable results.Sustainable cultural change takes patience, investment, a measure of faith, perseverance, and confidence. Setbacks can, and will, occur, results aren’t immediate and there are skeptics abound. That’s why so few firms get there - but you must get there if you want to remain relevant going forward. The world has changed!

31-07-201401:30 PM -02:45 PM

Leadership and LinkedIn - Bridging the Gap

Brandi BarrBusiness Development Manager, T.Y. Lin International, Tempe, ArizonaMisty Turley, CPSM, AM.APMPDirector, Corporate Marketing, Flintco, LLC, Tulsa, OklahomaBrooke Weinstein, CPSMNortheast Region Marketing Manager, Dewberry, Bloomfield, New JerseyLinkedIn has 100+ million users and adds two new users per second! Recent research found that LinkedIn drives 64% of traffic to corporate websites – more than all other social media platforms combined. So why is A/E/C leadership still slow to embrace this tool and how can today’s future-focused marketers help bridge the gap? This was the question posed while formulating an action learning project for SMPS University. The team, representing a cross section of five multi-discipline, specialty design and construction firms, started with a survey of senior principals and technical staff to gauge their level of engagement in LinkedIn. Based on the survey results, a service blueprint was created to map the current and potential states of engagement and identify strategies for migrating from passive to active engagement on LinkedIn. The presentation will include an update on how the recommendations generated by the project have been implemented to impact the level of engagement in these five diverse firms and a workshop to help attendees adapt the process for their firms. (1.25 CEUs)Learning Objectives: How to use surveys and the service blueprinting processes as tools.Best practices for LinkedIn engagement.How to migrate from passive to active engagement

31-07-201401:30 PM -02:45 PM

Client Panel: Owner Rep/Project Management

John PerezVice President, Cumming CorporationTim RomaniCEO, ICON Venue GroupRalph EnglebergerCEO & President, PDSITom SpearingPresident, Hill InternationalModerator: Christy UlloDirector of Marketing & Communications, Americas, Faithful+GouldAs marketing and business development professionals, we often ask potential clients, “what did/did not work?” for a winning or losing project opportunity. Sometimes we even wonder if our social media presence factors into their perception of our firms. This external feedback can be extremely valuable when it comes to the next pursuit, and it can help manage a firm’s brands. During the Owner Rep/Project Management Panel, these and other specific questions will be posed to a unique cross-section of key influencers and decisions makers who represent various market sectors and project types. The panel will delve into current winning trends in the submittal and interview process; offer insight into how collateral and social media play into decision-making and perception; explain how they craft RFQs and RFPs and what they’re really looking for in our responses; and offer the audience the chance to ask their own questions directly. (1.25 CEUs)

31-07-201401:30 PM -02:45 PM

The Opening Playbook: Building Business Relationships That Grow Revenue

Andrew Scott Dietz, MBAManaging Partner, Creative Growth Group, Inc., Atlanta, GeorgiaOur business culture promotes “closing” as the most vital element of selling. And why not? It implies tangible results now, not later. Based on the presenter's book of the same title, The Opening Playbook workshop takes a counterintuitive approach. Closing is finite. Closing is an end. Closing before you’ve appropriately opened a business relationship is the sound of a door shut in your face. Here’s the mantra for the 21st century: Always Be Opening. Opening is everything that happens before the pitch that puts you in position to be bought. Coaches, teams, and athletes rely on playbooks to define orchestrated plays, patterns, and progressions that increase the likelihood of scoring. Similarly, once professionals get in the room with an ideal prospect that has a real, immediate need for help, they usually do a fine job of winning work. The problem is that too many professionals don’t know how to get into that room in the first place. The Opening Playbook workshop presents and practices the prior actions that put trusted advisors in more of those opportunity-filled rooms more frequently. (1.25 CEUs)Learning Objectives: How to pursue ideal prospects more successfully by playing in the “open field” or “white space” that competitors can’t match.Spend business development time more productively by concentrating specifically on the highest probability prospects.Shift from a focus on closing deals to opening new business development relationships that put firms in position to be selected.Participants will stop telling business development prospects what makes their firms so great and start engaging prospects in experiences that demonstrate their difference.

31-07-201402:45 PM -03:15 PM

Break in the Networking Lounge

31-07-201403:15 PM -04:30 PM

Instagram Killed the Glamour Shots Star: Differentiating with Imagery

Darrin S. Hunter, Assoc. AIAOwner, Dish Design, Cincinnati, OhioOn May 30, 2013, the Chicago Sun-Times did the unthinkable. It fired its entire photography staff and mandated iPhone photography training for its field reporters. And the time may be coming when the A/E/C industry could consider it, too. Does that sound crazy? This is a provocative example of what an industry on the verge of extinction (newspapers) is driven to do to survive in an image-saturated and social media driven information culture: make and use nearly free images. Darrin Scott Hunter, an architectural photographer, identity designer, and corporate trainer will lead this session explaining his unique perspectives on making and using A/E/C-specific imagery, from photography through information graphics along a spectrum of representation to differentiate marketing approaches toward internal business unit audiences and external competitors.Hunter will provide a case study illustrating the roles of social media platforms, traditional glamour shot architectural photography, and the rise of video content. Small group workshop exercises will provide a clear system of alternative image sourcing strategies, and methods for evaluating best practices toward brand channeling and cost control. (1.25 CEUs)Learning Objectives: Write a photo shoot creative brief that outlines needs, simplifies logistics, and guides photographers toward on-brand imagery.Focus the content of marketing imagery on firm differentiators using the right media channels to support selling actual services.Strategize an image sourcing process that controls cost, increases coverage, helps to manage usage rights, and diversifies stylistic range.

31-07-201403:15 PM -04:30 PM

It Takes a Village, But It Starts with You

Hildegard DoddMarketing Manager, Wilson Ihrig, Emeryville, CaliforniaVeda N. SolomonPresident, Veda Solomon Consulting, Redondo Beach, CaliforniaOne must have strength of character, vision, and the ability to persuade others to be seen as a leader. Whether you're a rising star or managing future stars around you, a true leader has the ability to elevate their impact by understanding how to turn perceived weaknesses into strengths, career obstacles into stepping stones, and challenges into leadership triumphs!The role of a marketer or business developer in the professional services industry doesn’t always start at the top. Many have worked their way up over the years and have achieved success and many accolades. But, they aren’t always viewed as valuable contributors to the overall business process and over time, become more focused on deliverables than strategies.Anyone can be a great leader, and sometimes, the only person stopping you from achieving that goal is yourself. The path to leadership is not a step-by-step checklist that can be followed like assembling furniture from Ikea, it is a journey of strength, intelligence, and empowerment. If you want others to value your input, you need to communicate with your own personal style and conviction, so that people can’t help but follow you and look to you for leadership. (1.25 CEUs)Learning Objectives: Get coached on how to speak with authority, believability, and accountability (along with attentive listening skills), in an effort to strengthen overall communication abilities. These techniques will help to increase personal credibility, integrity, and better overall collaboration skills.Access examples of how to redirect expectations, implement time management techniques, and effectively direct and manage team members, so they will have the time and energy to lead by example.Learn instructions for a usable tracking document to set milestones for long-term success to determine what actions should be added, adjusted, or in some cases, abandoned. As they achieve success, attendees will be inspired to coach those around them to do the same.

31-07-201403:15 PM -04:30 PM

Keeping the Client in Play: Managing Your Contacts Between Projects

Sarah Wortman, CPSMDirector of Business Development, LSC Design, York, PennsylvaniaJennifer Van Vleet, CPSMAmericas Regional Communications Manager, MWH Global, Broomfield, ColoradoWith many clients, a significant amount of time elapses between the end of one project and the start of another. This is typically the time when the relationship with that client lies fallow. Yet, this is also the ideal time to ensure good references, get referrals, and demonstrate value from the engagement. This presentation talks about why that gap exists, what can be done during the gap (by both marketing and business development) to help you win business from similar clients, and how to ensure that the relationship with that client remains solid until the next project opportunity. (1.25 CEUs)Learning Objectives: Learn why so many client relationships die off after a project ends.Develop strategies for closing the loop between project end and next engagement so existing clients stay existing clients.Get practical advice for how to overcome obstacles when it comes to to gathering references, referrals, and ongoing client communication.

31-07-201403:15 PM -04:30 PM

The Power of Perspective: Affecting Change and Enhancing Creativity

Marion Thatch, FSMPS, CPSMPresident , Distinction in Marketing, Danville, CaliforniaWhen stuck on a problem, it often helps to look at it from another perspective. This can be all that's needed to come up with a great solution; however, it can sometimes be difficult to think about what these perspectives might be. Attendees will look at problems from various perspectives to come up with creative solutions, relying on the fact that different people with different experiences often approach obstacles in different ways. This interactive program takes looking at problems from different perspectives to a whole new level. Groups will be asked to look at problems from an entirely different level based on wild cards (like their favorite food or music). The ‘wild cards’ invite outrageous, fun, quirky responses to get the audience thinking outside their comfort zones and into the ‘creative zone’. The process is easily applied to professional and personal problems, thus providing attendees with a tool to get them out of the box anytime and anywhere.But the workshop doesn’t stop there. Real real change requires conscious choice and attendees will be asked what they'd consider in order to make the changes they desire. (1.25 CEUs)Learning Objectives: Think more creatively to leverage firm competition.Learn how to make and keep conscious choices to support real change.Take home a proven method for bringing about real change in their professional and personal worlds.Using the methodology practiced in the session, attendees can adapt the framework for their firm to unleash the creative juices.

31-07-201407:00 PM -12:00 AM

Awards Gala and After Party

This glittering celebration honors excellence in A/E/C communications and Society leadership in 2013–14. Enjoy an elegant dinner and applaud award-winning, business-building ideas produced by innovative industry firms. Join SMPS leaders, industry media, and your peers to find out who will take home the Weld Coxe Marketing Achievement Award, National Marketing Communications Awards, Chapter President of the Year Award, and Striving for Excellence Awards. The 2014 Class of SMPS Fellows and 2013–14 Class of CPSMs also will be honored during the Gala.After dinner, the party gets down to business! Dance the night away and enjoy an unforgettable evening celebrating in style with old and new SMPS friends at the After Party.Attire is formal. Admission to this event is included in the Full Registration, Guest Registration, and Thursday-Only Registration packages. Gala-only tickets and tickets for clients, colleagues, or guests are $150/person. Register online or use the printed registration form to buy tickets for your guests.

01-08-201407:00 AM -04:00 PM

Registration Open

01-08-201408:00 AM -09:00 AM

Light Continental Breakfast in the Networking Lounge

01-08-201408:00 AM -04:30 PM

Networking Lounge Open

01-08-201409:00 AM -10:30 AM

General Session and Keynote

After sustaining a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down, adventurer Grant Korgan—who had never encountered a slope he couldn’t ski or a jump he couldn’t land on his snowmobile—refused to balk at his new condition because he still had a mission in store. Ten years prior, when his best friend and climbing partner passed away in an avalanche, his parents entrusted Korgan with their son’s equipment, entreating him to continue climbing for him. Spurred by his commitment to his friend as well as the support of his wife, Shawna, Korgan found the strength to rise from his wheelchair and reclaim his active lifestyle, becoming the first spinal cord-injured athlete to ski 80 miles in Antarctica’s South Pole. Today, he is the emerging face of spinal cord recovery and heralds his message of choosing positivity through adversity so that we may all climb a mountain for someone we love. While Grant Korgan’s story is one of overcoming a significant challenge, his message isn’t about obstacles. It’s about deciding what you want in life, focusing on what is working, and always choosing positivity through adversity. These are Korgan’s Three Points of Possibility—the keys to meeting adversity head on and overcoming it joyfully.

01-08-201410:30 AM -10:45 AM

Break in the Networking Lounge

01-08-201410:45 AM -12:00 PM

Between Zero and Priceless: How the Industry Is Tracking and Measuring ROI

Carl A. HuntMarketing and Business Development Manager, Gannett Fleming, Inc., Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaAlison K. Detar, CPSMManager, Corporate Communications and Marketing, Gannett Fleming, Inc., Camp Hill, PennsylvaniaWhen it comes to marketing and proposal efforts, you can’t win every hand. But how do you know what you have in your hand? Measuring ROI remains a conundrum in our industry, but some of our peers are making strides by looking at metrics beyond the “bottom line,” or proposal “hit rates” and Facebook “likes.” This session is based on an SMPS survey conducted July 17-July 31, 2013, where A/E/C marketers shared ways they're making headway to unravel the mystery of ROI. Learn how peers approach the ROI measurement problem in three different marketing areas: 1) Proposals, or specific client pursuits; 2) Marketing awareness and publicity including press releases, advertisements, emailers, newsletters, and more; 3) Marketing events including conferences, office openings, ribbon cuttings and more. This interactive workshop that will enable participants to: think about what ROI metrics would be critical based upon their own firm’s marketing strategies; learn how to quantify qualitative marketing outcomes; identify processes and tools needed to track and analyze those metrics; and, have more confidence to institute marketing ROI programs in their own firm.Learning Objectives: 1.Understand the importance and challenges of measuring ROI2.Learn industry best practices as identified through the results of the July 2013 SMPS survey on measuring marketing ROI.3.Identify what metrics are critical for their own firm’s marketing strategies and determine what tools and processes they need to implement a ROI tracking program at their firm.

01-08-201410:45 AM -12:00 PM

Client Panel: The Changing Face of Owners/Developers

Kathy CarrSenior Manager, Facilities & CRE, St. Jude MedicalKathleen MacNeil, LEED APPrincipal, MDA Partners LLCJanice YuenAssistant Vice President, SARES REGISModerator: Judith Nitsch, PE, LEED AP BD+C, FSMPSFounding Principal and Chairman, Nitsch Engineering, Inc.The stereotypical face of the real estate developers and owners hiring our firms is changing. Baby boomers are starting to retire; thus Gen X’ers and Millennials are becoming key client contacts. Real estate in the United States continues to be a good play for international investors. Women owners are increasingly developing real estate. How are you and your firm preparing for and adapting to this change?

01-08-201410:45 AM -12:00 PM

Economic Forecast That Even a Left-Brainer Can Love

Michael Hicks, PhDDirector of Center for Business and Economic Research and Professor of Economics, Center for Business and Economic ResearchWhat sectors of the U.S. economy will grow over the next one to three years, and is our economy taking off or stalled on the runway? Hear the latest predictions from Michael J. Hicks, PhD, the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research and a professor of economics in the Miller College of Business at Ball State University. So why is an economic forecast session on the imagine:creativity track you may ask? Because THIS session will cover a general economic overview of the A/E/C industry that will be put into pictures by the creative minds from the Ink Factory. Watch the artists as they take the economic information presented by Dr. Hicks and turn them into cartoon images that even the most right-brained among us can digest.

01-08-201410:45 AM -12:00 PM

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Getting the Most From Your Evaluation Process

Matthew J. FrankelDirector of Marketing, Gresham, Smith and Partners, Nashville, TennesseeThis session, presented in part as a case study, follows the complete overhaul of a mid-size A/E firm's Go/No-Go (GNG) form and process. It begins with a look back at the existing form, including statistical analyses, and explores reasons that the firm’s business developers were resistant to using it. Then the session dives into the development, implementation, and results of the new GNG form, determining what questions to ask, how to ask and score them, and what to do with the information once collected. Aimed towards mid-to-senior-level Marketing and BD professionals, key takeaways include:Structuring a GNG form/process so that it can uncover gaps in knowledge, experience and client relationships.Maximizing the impact of the approval process to get beyond a simple “rubber-stamp” mentality.Achieving maximum GNG completion participation.Determining if a GNG form is measuring what it is intended to measure by using statistical analysis.Deciding which questions belong on a GNG form and how best to phrase the questions and answer choices to achieve the intended results.Using reporting mechanisms to track and provide key lead and lag metrics to firm leadership.(1.25 CEUs)Learning Objectives: Discover how to effectively construct a GNG form and process to serve as a front-line tool for client relationship and knowledge gap analysis.Explore the five fundamental questions involved in the GNG decision-making process and gain tips on how to turn them into objective, measurable questions.Learn how to conduct basic statistical analyses to determine if their GNG tools are effectively measuring what they are intended to measure (i.e. correlated to the probability of winning a particular project).

01-08-201412:00 PM -01:30 PM

SMPS Business Meeting and Networking Lunch

Connect with your peers over a business-building lunch! During a brief association business meeting, SMPS President Brad Thurman, P.E., FSMPS, CPSM, will report on the initiatives undertaken by the Society in 2013–14, and the 2014–15 Board of Directors will be introduced. In addition, SMPS Foundation President William Long, P.E., FSMPS, CPSM, will provide an update on the work of the Foundation. Door prizes will be awarded during the networking luncheon. (You must be present to win.)

01-08-201401:30 PM -02:45 PM

Client Panel: Student Housing

Noel BrinkmanVice President, Public-Private Partnerships, American Campus CommunitiesJulie Skolnicki, AIA, LEED APSenior Vice President: Real Estate, Facilities, Construction and Operations, EdRChad Izmirian, Leed APSenior Vice President and Development Manager, Capstone Development Partners, LLCModerator: Daniel DurackProject Manager, Brailsford & DunlaveyFor many colleges and universities, the race to maintain or expand student enrollment is a constant challenge. Often, institutions are strapped for cash and doing their best just to maintain their facilities, let alone invest in non-educational space. Thus, the trend of partnering with third-party development companies to provide state-of-the-art student housing, dining, and amenities continues to be the viable and creative option to stay ahead of the competition. From our client panelists, learn more about the challenges this market faces and gain insight into how your firm can offer solutions. (1.25 CEUs)

01-08-201401:30 PM -02:45 PM

How the Recession Commoditized the A/E Firm and What To Do About It

Jason MlickiPrincipal, Rattleback, Columbus, OhioDuring the recession, a large owner of gas stations and convenience stores issued an RFP for assistance renovating a good portion of its locations as part of a major rebrand -- an RFP that normally would have received 15-20 responses yielded over 11k. While economic conditions have improved drastically over the last few years, the signs of commoditization are still all around us. Yet, we’re not talking about them. This program will do just that. We will share key indicators that commoditization is still a very real problem for many architecture and engineering firms, perspectives on the topic from marketers around the country, and suggestions for how marketers can help their firms “de-commoditize.”Learning Objectives: Identify the key forces driving the commoditization of the practice to raise awareness of the issue with firm leaders.Access real world indicators that commoditization is still a very real problem.Identify paths to “de-commoditize” the firm and build a highly differentiated firm.

01-08-201401:30 PM -02:45 PM

Many Roles, Many Hats. Perspectives from “Do It All” Marketers and Business Developers

Michelle L. Wiesner, CPSMMarketing Manager, Envision StrategiesJulie LougeeDivision Marketing Manager, Haselden ConstructionMichele DeckerAssociate, 4240 ArchitectureJennifer OlsonMarketing & Communications Manager, The Weitz CompanyDo you wear many hats in your firm as a marketer? In many firms, marketers are tasked with proposal and collateral development, but might also engage in: business development, graphic design, public relations, trade shows, advertising, and coaching. It is important to remain organized and sane while investing in your professional development. How do you successfully do it all? How are you evaluated for such a diverse role? Being the one and only marketing and business development person in your firm may come in different forms or have different titles. If you are the only source for business development and marketing in your firm, you must have a unique combination of skills: vision, creativity, design capabilities, strong writing and proposal development skills as well as sales and relationship building skills – all of which work together to help sell your firm’s services. This session addresses a number of strategies and perspectives used by marketers who are the single source for marketing and business development in their firms. (1.25 CEUs)Learning Objectives: Gain perspective from professionals who perform both marketing and business development functions for their firms.Learn tips on how to better organize their time in managing the activities needed for both responsibilities.Gain perspective on how to sell this unique dual skill with their firm's upper management as well as negotiate and help determine performance goals for their position where possible.

01-08-201401:30 PM -02:45 PM

Your Journey: Paving the Road Less Traveled

Diane Rutledge, CPSMNational Assistant Director of Marketing and Brand, Gilbane Building Company, Palm Beach Gardens, FloridaDawn Greco, CPSMBusiness Development Director, ICF International, Sacramento, CaliforniaBernice Bako, FSMPS, CPSMDirector of National Marketing, Turner Construction Company, Dallas, TexasLacey Reckelhoff, CPSMDirector of Marketing, RB+B Architects, Inc., Fort Collins, ColoradoModerator: Barbara Shuck, FSMPS, CPSMFirm-wide Marketing Communications Manager, Wilson & Company, Inc., Engineers & Architects, Omaha, NebraskaIn every A/E/C marketing career, there are challenges to continued success and promotion. For some, it is raising children. For others, it can be the struggle between being a non-technical expert in a highly technical field. Still, some may face challenges in juggling outside industry involvement with the commitment to succeed and move forward in their firms. Regardless of which path your journey has taken you, others have navigated it before and share similar experiences. Your Journey: Paving the Road Less Traveled showcases presenters as they share their successes and lessons learned along the way. Each facilitated conversation will focus on a different path and the people who are taking them. You will have the opportunity to choose the discussion that best applies and to share your challenges, ideas, and questions. (1.25 CEUs)

01-08-201402:45 PM -03:05 PM

Break in the Networking Lounge

01-08-201403:15 PM -04:30 PM

Finding Your Center: Successful Marketing at the Intersection of Passion, Expertise, and Resources

Kelly DonahuePrincipal, EYP Architecture & EngineeringKira PoggeMedia and Communications Coordinator, EYP Architecture & EngineeringEffective marketing is the perfect balance between brand and demand. Great marketing is also relational, engaging the client in a virtual (or actual) conversation. This interactive workshop builds on the business concept that doing one thing extremely well wins the day. Blending best practices – such as collaboration and resource-sharing – with more analytic approaches is a sound strategy for identifying that “one big thing.” Hands-on activities help participants find their center; a case study illustrates benefits as well as lessons learned.

01-08-201403:15 PM -04:30 PM

How Successful Marketers Transition from Ordinary to Extraordinary

01-08-201403:15 PM -04:30 PM

More Cowbell: Empower Your Technical Professionals to Become Business Development Rockstars

Donna Corlew, FSMPS, CPSMChief Whatever it Takes Officer, C*Connect, Kingston Springs, TennesseeModerator: Kate Mullaney, CPSMBusiness Development Director, HDR, Inc., Chicago, IllinoisPanelists:Andrew Weinberg, FSMPS, CPSMRegional Business Development Manager, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Inc., New York, New YorkJennifer Christine Yoder, CPSMDirector of Business Development, England-Thims & Miller, Jacksonville, FloridaJason VesuvioDirector of Business Development, Faithful+Gould, New York, New York“More Cowbell” refers to something you need more of, a remedy. As Christopher Walken said in the infamous Saturday Night Live skit (alongside passionate cowbell player Will Ferrell), I got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell. It's time we treat the cowbell with the respect it deserves.As the business developer, you may be the lead singer, but unless you're embarking on a solo career, your band of doer-seller’s must each master their parts and together you'll earn your place on the Grammy stage. This (jam) session will give you unique, fun, and proven methods to inspire even those who play cowbell to amp up their role in the business development efforts of the firm, keep them accountable, and reward those who step up and become your BD rock stars. Join the moderator in talk-show style discussion with four industry experts who will share creative, successful, and positive techniques they have employed that changed the way their technical professionals look at business development, the way their firm’s leadership is measuring business development performance, and how these programs highlight BD rock stars their firms never knew they had. (1.25 CEUs)Learning Objectives: Motivate technical professionals to become more involved in business development and perform business development tasks.Apply methods for keeping technical staff accountable for business development contributions and outcomes.Recommend and develop incentives for team members performing business development tasks, and spotlight the business development rock stars.

01-08-201403:15 PM -04:30 PM

The Power of Perspective: Affecting Change and Enhancing Creativity

Marion Thatch, FSMPS, CPSMPresident , Distinction in Marketing, Danville, CaliforniaWhen stuck on a problem, it often helps to look at it from another perspective. This can be all that's needed to come up with a great solution; however, it can sometimes be difficult to think about what these perspectives might be. Attendees will look at problems from various perspectives to come up with creative solutions, relying on the fact that different people with different experiences often approach obstacles in different ways. This interactive program takes looking at problems from different perspectives to a whole new level. Groups will be asked to look at problems from an entirely different level based on wild cards (like their favorite food or music). The ‘wild cards’ invite outrageous, fun, quirky responses to get the audience thinking outside their comfort zones and into the ‘creative zone’. The process is easily applied to professional and personal problems, thus providing attendees with a tool to get them out of the box anytime and anywhere.But the workshop doesn’t stop there. Real real change requires conscious choice and attendees will be asked what they'd consider in order to make the changes they desire. (1.25 CEUs)Learning Objectives: Think more creatively to leverage firm competition.Learn how to make and keep conscious choices to support real change.Take home a proven method for bringing about real change in their professional and personal worlds.Using the methodology practiced in the session, attendees can adapt the framework for their firm to unleash the creative juices.

01-08-201406:30 PM -09:30 PM

Social Event Hosted by SMPS San Antonio at Rio Plaza (Ticket Required)

The Social Event hosted by the San Antonio Chapter will be held on Friday, August 1. The event will be from 6:30 pm- to 9:30 pm and take place at the Rio Plaza, floors 2-4, located at 245 E Commerce St, just a few short blocks away from the conference hotel. Tickets for this event are sold separately and are not included with your Build Business registration. Tickets may be purchased online or at the registration desk of Build Business.Enjoy this wonderful venue and help celebrate SMPS's 40th Anniversary with an evening of dancing and entertainment. Your registration includes 2 hours of open bar, heavy hors d'oeuvres, dessert.If you have any questions, please contact Dan Reilly at SMPS Headquarters. 800-292-7677 x223 or dan@smps.org